Middlesex Sheriff Koutoujian honors staff during recognition ceremony

Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian recognized members of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office for sustained excellence and outstanding acts during the 2017 Employee Recognition & Award Ceremony held May 10.

The ceremony is held annually during National Correctional Officers and Employees Week. As he did last year, Gov. Charlie Baker also proclaimed May 7-13 as Correction Officer Employee Week in the Commonwealth.

This year’s ceremony and reception included recognition of uniform and civilian staff for longevity, as well as individual acts of excellence over the previous 16 months.

This year’s Administrator and Officer of the Year Awards were presented to Deputy Superintendent Richard Vivier, Jr. and Sergeant Stephen Hall.

Vivier is a 22-year veteran of the MSO. He was recognized as Administrator of the Year for his leadership, dedication to the mission of the MSO and efforts to make the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction a national model for excellence in corrections.

Hall is a 19-year veteran of the MSO, currently assigned to the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction. He was presented with the Office of the Year Award for his sustained excellence and the leadership demonstrated on daily basis.

Recognized with the Deputy Sheriff of the Year Award were members of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office Warrant Apprehension Unit, comprised of MSO deputies, as well as one member each from the Lowell and Bentley University Police Departments. In 2016, the unit arrested 347 individuals wanted by more than 80 different agencies, inside and outside of Massachusetts.

Also among those recognized, were six officers who intervened in suicide attempts, saving the lives of three men; two transportation officers who helped safely subdue a man who confronted Billerica and MSO officers on Boston Road last June; one transportation officer who moved a woman from train tracks just as a train approached in Framingham last year; and an off-duty deputy who performed CPR on a man after the man collapsed at a bowling alley.

This year’s ceremony and reception also included an appearance for the fifth consecutive year by Rene Rancourt to perform the “Star-Spangled Banner.” The Boston Red Sox also generously made available the 2004 World Series Trophy for employees and the families to have their photos taken with.